Vegetable Couscous with Harissa Sauce

Every summer ... and whenever I felt that I have overindulged during the holiday... I would whipped up this vegetable couscous... not that this vegetable couscous would make me lose kgs in an instance... how I wish... but just to clear the 'guilty' conscience (is this ... the correct spelling??) if you know what I mean...

And every year I would be hunting hi and lo for Harissa Sauce. Worries no more... for I have them both carved in stone ... ehem... typed and posted in my blog...

This recipe is taken from Healthy Weight Loss by Fiona Hunter... basically one can add anything to this dish to make it wholesome and flavoursome, and at the same time clean up my crisper box in the fridge

Just to tickle my tastebuds... I chargrilled the sliced aubergine and capsicum...

Recipe:

1 large aubergine (alternative ~ use baby aubergine) - thickly sliced

2 carrots - cut into strips

1 cup of cauliflower florets

1 can chick peas ~ drain and rinse

1 red capsicum

a bunch of coriander - chopped

1 cup of couscous

1 1/4 cup of water or chicken stock or vegetable stock

1 red onion - chopped

2 garlic - chopped

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of smoked paprika

2 tablespoon of olive oil

1 can of diced tomatoes

2 teaspoon of Harissa Sauce

salt

Sliced aubergine about 1.5cm thick and soak in salt water for 10 minutes. Pat dry and spray with olive oil on both side and place it on a grill for a few minutes... until both sides are cooked. The cut the aubergine into thick strips.

Cut the capsicum into strips and placed in the grill too, then diced.

Bring to boil the water or chicken stock or vegetable stock in a small pan. Add in couscous. Bring to a quick boil and turn off the heat and cover. Put it aside for 5 minutes and fluff up the couscous with fork.

In a large frying pan (I prefer to use wok), saute the chopped onion with 2 tablespoon of olive oil until translucent.

Add in garlic and cumin, keep stirring until fragrant.

Add in harissa sauce and diced tomatoes. At this stage you can add about 1/2 cup of water if it gets too dry.

Add carrots and cauliflower, lower the heat and cook for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Add in the chargrilled aubergine, chargrilled capsicum and chickpeas.

Season with salt and gently stir until the vegetables are heated through.